My inspiring time with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust under the mentorship of Jim Dow was truly instrumental in shaping my career. During my hands-on internship with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust (BHHT), every day was a new adventure in learning while doing. I was exposed to the nuts and bolts of land conservation work and was able to dive right in. Few opportunities such as this exist for those venturing into the land conservation world. Most internships are focused on only one aspect of land conservation work, but with BHHT, I gained a comprehensive foundation in all elements of this multi-faceted profession. These are not skills learned in the traditional classroom setting; Jim felt strongly about bringing conservation to scale through partnership and education of the next generation. I was fortunate to learn the ropes from this conservation legend.
My experience with BHHT confirmed my inclination to transition from ecological research to direct land protection and community-based conservation. I returned to my second year of my master’s at Duke confident in the direction I was heading and eager to stay involved with land trust work outside of school. Jim’s love for the Blue Hill peninsula and for the environment at large is nothing short of contagious. I am deeply grateful to be one of his mentees; it will be a life well-lived for anyone able to accomplish half of what he has for conservation and the community.
Carolyn Sedgwick was the BHHT Summer Intern in 2013. After working in Virginia as the Rappahannock and Clarke County Land Conservation Officer for the The Piedmont Environmental Council, and as Executive Director Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition, she is now the Leadership Giving Officer for The Cornell Lab of Orithology.